Brown’s Bridge Re-opening
Brown’s Bridge Repair
Cromford Canal’s Historic Bridge Given a New Lease of Life
Work to repair and restore Brown’s Swing Bridge at the High Peak Junction on Cromford Canal is now complete thanks to Derbyshire County Council and The Friends of Cromford Canal.
Dating back to the 1800s, the bridge became difficult to operate due to being worn and damaged.
Its main use is by the Birdswood narrow boat trip service to take passengers along the canal.
The repair and restoration of the bridge was funded by the county council contributing £47,000 and £15,000 was raised by The Friends of Cromford Canal and carried out by Beighton Construction.
The council works in partnership with The Friends of the Cromford Canal which is a charitable trust set up to promote the canal and its restoration. The charity also operates a trip boat service at the northern end of the canal with its historic narrow boat “Birdswood” which is used to generate funds for the restoration of the canal
Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Environment Councillor Carolyn Renwick said: “We are delighted to see that the historic Brown’s Swing Bridge at High Peak Junction on the Cromford Canal has been restored and repaired.
“This much-needed work has allowed the popular Birdswood narrow boat trip service to fully resume its journeys along the canal which attracts thousands of visitors a year.
“The site plays an important role in helping us attract more visitors, encourage more staycations and increase visitor spend in the county as well as being a much-loved area for locals.”
Derbyshire County Council owns and maintains 11 miles of canals. This includes Cromford Canal from Cromford Wharf to Ambergate and a section at Pinxton Wharf.
The site has a wealth of industrial heritage and lies within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
David Martin – chairman of the Friends of the Cromford Canal said “we are delighted once again to work in partnership with DCC, this time to renovate Browns Bridge which will allow FCC to maximise the visitor experience on our trip boat Birdswood, and will protect this historic swing bridge for many years to come”